Refugees: 5.8 million children out of school, UNHCR warns of funding cuts

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) published a report on October 2, 2026, titled "Pathways to the Future: Education, Opportunity and Self-Reliance," which identifies 5.8 million school-age refugee children out of school in 2025, out of a total of 13.1 million — or 44%.

The figures show a funnel effect. According to the UNHCR, 65% of refugee children are enrolled in primary school, but only 32% in secondary school. Access to higher education has reached 11%, representing more than 450,000 people enrolled in university or technical training, compared to 9% in 2024.

The gap is widening in poor countries

The gap with host populations remains striking. In more than 80% of the countries that provided data, the enrollment rate of refugees in higher education remains below the national average. In low-income countries affected by conflict, only 2% of refugees access higher education, compared to 13% of national citizens, the UNHCR indicates.

Girls pay the heaviest price, particularly at the secondary level. The UN agency cites poverty, protection risks, and early marriage among the factors that precipitate dropouts.

Sudan at the heart of the crisis

The report relies in particular on the situation of Sudanese refugees, many of whom found refuge in Egypt or Chad after the outbreak of conflict in their country. Jamila Mostafa, a 19-year-old Sudanese refugee in Egypt, testifies to what school represents: "Even if I lost my home, I did not lose my dreams," reports UN News.

For the UNHCR, "education is protection" as much as it is a path toward self-reliance: a child in school today will be better equipped tomorrow to provide for their own needs.

Cuts with lasting consequences

The agency warns that worsening budget cuts threaten to undo years of investment. Global humanitarian funding has contracted, and education is traditionally one of the first lines sacrificed when budgets tighten.

The issue is directly African. The continent hosts a large share of the world's displaced people, often in countries whose school systems are already under strain — Chad, Uganda, Kenya, or Ethiopia educate hundreds of thousands of refugee children with resources largely dependent on external aid. When donors withdraw, it is African states, not donor capitals, that bear the brunt. The UNHCR report thus recalls a political reality: the schooling of refugee children cannot rely indefinitely on annual funding that is subject to downward revisions.